"Hitler, thanks for the Holocaust" and "If Hitler didn’t exist the Zionists would have had to invent him" were among the graffiti scrawled on the walls of the plaza. Another hate message stated, "Jews wake up – the Zionist regime is dangerous,” and the vandalism was signed by "The global Zionist mafia.”

Yad VaShem director Avner Shalev said, “I am shocked and horrified by this blatant act of burning hatred against the country and against Zionism. It has crossed the red line and is very worrisome.”

He said it is not clear who was behind the vandalism, and police are investigating.

Education Minister Gideon Saar asserted that the vandals “intended to insult public sensitivities.” One of the signatures indicated that anti-Zionist Jews may have been behind the hate attack, and security cameras may offer evidence of the perpetrators.

Yad VaShem was closed in the morning while workers tried to erase the damage.